I pray that each and every one following our posts, has a joyful, meaningful, and safe Thanksgiving Holiday. We thank you from the bottom of our heart.

Today, we discuss proper formulation of scientific and theological models so not to engage in stupidity. In practice, this is not difficult if one understands a very important principle, often time called the Law of Parsimony and Necessity.

The best formulation known to me is called Yngling’s  Cut: “In formulating an internally-consistent, conceptual model so to describe and predict the operation of a system, such model must be sufficiently rich so to not to exclude necessary nor add superfluous information.”

Being sufficiently rich, the scientist and theologian insures that all necessary variables are considered so to solve the problem proposed.

Being parsimonious, the scientist and theologian insures that all unnecessary variables are excluded, such being redundant , dogmatic, and superfluous.

Typically, models of theology suffer from superfluousness and dogmatism. For example, most concepts of God are embellished with political overtones and sloppy cognition Often, scientific models prove insufficient, as they restrict models to the material world alone and so flounder forever more.

The foundations of Yngling’s Cut are not new and have been expressed since the days of the Greek philosophers and early scientists. quote Isaac Newton, “We are to admit no more causes of natural things than such as are both true and sufficient to explain their appearances. Therefore, to the same natural effects we must, as far as possible, assign the same causes.”

I do recommend contemplation upon Yngling’s Cut and other equivalent formulations of rational thought. Then, apply it to your own personal philosophy so to test it against the wisdom of many centuries.

Ciao, Michael